Editorial Rating:

95.2%

“Currencies Direct is one of the friendliest companies on the market. An intuitive website, friendly online trading platform and an extremely pleasant staff. The company has been around for more than 20 years and has attracted nothing but positive attention and feedback.”

Read More – Full Currencies Direct Review:

Is Currencies Direct Reliable?

Company Size:

Currencies Direct was founded in 1996 in the UK, and has grown at a staggering pace. From a small-operation, the firm has grown into an industry leader that now serves customers on all 5 continents, with offices in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, India, China, South Africa, and the USA.

Currencies Direct employs more than 300 employees, has served more than 150,000 corporate and individual clients, and transfers more than £4.5 billion annually, making it one of the largest currency firms in the UK.

It was recently bought for more than £200m by Palamon Capital and Corsair Capital. Corsair’s president, Lord Davies of Abersoch, was previously the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business. In August 2016, the firm appointed Mr Antony Jenkins, the former CEO of Barclays as its non executive chairman.

Currencies Direct also has a majority stake in Universal VAT Services, a tax reclamation company.

Regulated By:

Financial Conduct Authority (UK), FinCen (USA).

Awards:

Conclusion:

Currencies Direct is one of the largest and most respectable currency firms on the planet. Operating for almost 20 years now, it has offices spanning 18 locations worldwide. Highest Credit Rating from Dun & Bradstreet. Steadily Growing.

With its recent acquisition by two of the most respectable VC firms in the market, we anticipate that it will continue growing, while maintaining its excellent service.

Credibility Rating

Offices

We have been to inspect Currencies Direct’s offices at Moorgate Street in London, at the heart of the city’s financial district. Its offices are pleasant and the staff members are friendly and professional. They eagerly welcome clients to visit and meet with them.

Currencies Direct offices – photos:

Dealer Area In The Office

View From The Office

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Do Clients Like Currencies Direct? Currencies Direct Reviews from Across The Web

Research:

With 1,350 Currencies Direct reviews submitted by clients on TrustPilot, we have more than enough evidence of Currencies Direct’s qualities. TrustPilot operates in 24 countries and is considered by many to represent the national voice of consumers. On TrustPilot, the company receives an average score of 8.9 / 10.

In addition, there are 45 reviews that can be found on ReviewCentre, another well-known user review site in the UK. There, the average rating is not as glowing, earning 3.6 out of 5, with 71% of the overall audience recommending the service.

If we combine the two, we reach an average rating of 8.82 out of 10 across all platforms.

In addition to that, we have collected more than 20 client reviews in our comment section. Here is an example:

I am retired and I had to make an urgent transfer from my sterling account in the UK to a Notary’s account in France, in Euros, to pay the deposit on a flat purchase.

After many years spent in forex dealings, I was disgusted by the rates that my, and other, banks were offering, so I researched the market and , to my delight, found Currencies Direct. The simplicity of operation and the speed of processing my transaction was a pure delight and I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them to anyone.Akos Nicolas Roth, Verified Client

Additional information on the transfer, and relevant documents, are sometimes needed

Credit Cards and Visa Electron, are not allowed

Recipient’s bank is charged – an extra fee

Conclusion:

When we scan the negative reviews written about the company, we don’t see anything that immediately alarms us.

When it comes to staff, it’s perfectly acceptable that out of almost 1,000 users, 10 or 20 won’t be happy with the dedicated dealer to which they were assigned. The company hires hundreds of traders, so it’s only natural that a minority of them won’t be as pleasant as others.

When it comes to documentation, the HM Revenue & Customs make, and enforce, the UK government’s Anti Money Laundering rulings. Currencies Direct must closely abide by their instructions, which may sometimes require further documentation. This is common across all Foreign Exchange firms.

In terms of recipient banks charging an extra fee, this is something rather rare that happens when transferring funds to (mainly) Asia. There is nothing that Currencies Direct can do about it, and it will also happen with any other company.

Credit Cards are a non-issue as well. There are very few companies who accept credit cards, and even fewer clients who wish to transfer funds in this way via commercial FX (the fees incurred by the credit company will be more significant than the exchange rates anyhow).

To summarise, there is 90%+ client satisfaction, and the vast majority of complaints relate to requirements beyond the company’s control, as a result of national and international transfer laws.

Currencies Direct’s Exchange Rate & Fees

Fees: No fees at all. Free transfer from anywhere, to anywhere on the globe.

Exchange Rates: Currencies Direct operates in similar fashion to other companies in this industry, i.e., exchange rate margins are quite flexible and depend on the volume of trading.

On the website, you can view real-time savings in comparison to banks. On average, on a 10,000 Pound transfer (to Euro, USD, or Australian Dollar) you will save 280 Pounds. On larger transfers, conducted via telephone, you will enjoy even lower margins, and thus increase your savings.

Limits: The minimum transfer amount is £100 which is quite low, while there is no upper limit on transfers.

Currencies Direct handles diverse range of clients, from those who are sending small remittances back home, through property purchasers, to large corporates that move millions between currencies each month.

Conclusion:

The exchange rates and fees are some of Currencies Direct’s strongest aspects. The no-fee policy worldwide, in addition to the calculator on the website, makes it very easy to understand how much money one can save by using them.

The sheer size of the company makes currency liquidity extremely high, meaning that on larger transfers, it would be able to provide a quote that represents even higher savings.

Accepts clients: Globally, and there is also dedicated local support in 18 countries!

Currencies Handled: 39

Client reviews: Global clientele base that seems very happy with the provided services.

Conclusion:

Currencies Direct is the most localised company we have tested to date, bar-none. There are dedicated support teams, and translated versions of the site, for a wide variety of clients from various countries.

This is precisely what we would expect from a top-notch company. Local agents everywhere that are ready to step in and assist clients, regardless of where they are in the world, or where they are sending money.

For large transfers it’s quite common for the person or business making the transfer to meet face-to-face with the company making the transaction, and with Currencies Direct, this is definitely possible.

In addition, Currencies Direct can help prospective clients save on recipient bank fees. With so many local bank settlements, it can make sure that the transfer remains domestic on the client side, as demonstrated below:

Premier Business Accounts for larger businesses, with a dedicated support team and tailored payment plans developed with the money manager of the organisation.

Currencies Direct is one of the most diverse companies when it comes to the services it offers – from the usual things, such as market watch, forward contracts, and limit orders, along with unique guides supplied to clients who are purchasing overseas properties.

The fact that it owns a tax return company makes its service truly holistic.

For businesses, Currencies Direct offers one of the most sophisticated collection offers, connecting directly with online marketplaces, and it offers a very advanced payment system that can serve a variety of purposes.

App:

The Currencies Direct website works properly on mobile, and it also has an adaptable mobile app (works on both Android and iPhone devices). The app is quite comprehensive and was recently rebuilt. You can log in to your account, make transactions, watch rates and basically do everything you can do on the desktop website. The only difference is that, at present, you cannot sign up on movile devices.

Conclusion:

Very few other companies offer as many unique features as Currencies Direct. The hedging department has all the tools you would expect, the online platform is really good and has some unique functions such as “Watch Rate Alerts”, the app is fully functional and friendly, and the brokers are helpful.

Special Features Score

Review Summary

Credibility Score - 96%

96%

Client Feedback - 91%

91%

Fees, Exchange Rates - 96%

96%

Global Reach, Availability, Service - 99%

99%

Added Values - 94%

94%

Bottom Line

Currencies Direct was one of the first companies to offer a zero-fee policy for any amount to any destination, and this, alongside other advantages like service and a superb online system, has lead it into a position of an industry leader. The firm transfers more than £4.5bn a year on behalf of its clients between 39 currencies, and was recently acquired for a sum of more than £200m by a group of investors lead by UK's former Minister of Trade. The firm boasts 20 offices just in Europe, more than any other comparable company.

Currencies Direct's exchange rates are always good, but they are particularly good for international transfers of £10,000 or more. We highly recommend using it for both businesses and private clients.

This review has been republished by Money Business Magazine, a leading business finance and banking news site, in its March 2016 edition (View scan here).

We at Money Transfer Comparison feel that this is a strong testimony to the value it delivers to both corporate and private clients. Please note that our site is the original publisher of the review.

62 comments

Compare - MTC Admin

More than a dozen client reviews have been added to this page on Feb 9, 2017. These are all verified reviews coming through from real clients! The reason they were all added in one day is due to fact we have requested Currencies Direct to send a mass-email targeting clients we have referred to them, which asks them to go back to the site and leave their honest feedback.

The fact so many clients bothered going back to our comment section to show their appreciation to the firm says a lot about it. We are extremely happy to realise our review was spot-on and that Currencies Direct delivers to the expectations.

This comment has been manually backdated to show up on top, so that readers would understand the nature and timing of comments.

Below are some reviews we have received from Currencies Direct’s marketing team of clients which were referred by us, and left their reviews via email or on TrustPilot.

“What makes Currencies Direct great is that we have both options available, whether it be popping into the Moraira branch or making a transfer online, with both methods being quick and easy.”

– Peter

“…we opted for Currencies Direct who offered very competitive rates and no hidden fees – a real bonus! 12 years later we don’t regret our choice at all. Our first transfer was quick and hassle-free, and we now regularly use Currencies Direct for monthly transfers and whenever we need extra money. They save us money each month and we are absolutely pleased by the service we always receive.”

– Barry

“Since first using them when we purchased our house we’ve used Currencies Direct when moving money overseas to buy our car, pay school fees and even hospital bills. We also use them for ongoing monthly payments and have happily recommended their services to family, friends and work colleagues across the world.”

Another review, transferred to us via email. It is 100% genuine (checked by us, we have the full details of that client):

“I was a little hesitant at first, so I tried using the site with a partial payment. My main surprise was how practical and easy it is to use. I was sending US$’s into sterling during the period when the rate was at its lowest, and it worked perfectly for me, and saved quite a bit compared to my normal inter-bank conversion.”

This is a non-verified comment. We tried to reach this client through communication here and via email and never received a response. Please take this comment with a grain of salt – The MoneyTransferComparison management

Having reviewed several UK fund transfer groups, Currencies Direct was the most protective, non transparent, and extremely rude. There sales approach was aggressive. They wanted a registration more than a relationship. Immediately there was no trust, the firm is small, and it is perceived desperate to get clients.

Thank you for the review and comment. Could you explain how were they rude with further detail? Could you support your details so I can verify this against Currencies Direct (I will publish your comment but remove your personal details). Also, which company did you eventually receive? What did you like more about it?

We would be happy to learn more via our readers’ experiences. Thank you very much.

Unfortunately this company doesn’t offer 100+ currencies. In the form that one has to fill out as proposed currencies that one owns there r only around 30-40 currencies. Can you recommend me money transfer service that works from China and wouldn’t use such exorbitant fees as Paypal? Thanks

We stand corrected and have amended the number of supported currencies for Currencies Direct.

Regarding services that trade the RMB, you have companies like TorFX, Currency Solutions (from 10,000 Pounds) and Currency Index. They generally speaking will trade any currency upon demand. Please let us know how it went with them.

I have signed up to Currencies Direct without any trouble at all. A representative contacted me briefly and supplied an excellent pricing, remarkably cheaper than the comparative quote I received from my bank. The representative was polite, and helpful.

I emailed Currencies Direct with some specific questions regarding transfers from UK to China. Their reply was to request a phone number so they could call me. I would prefer written answers and have informed them of this. They now appear to be ignoring me! I find this reluctance/refusal to provide written information deeply troubling – what have they got to hide? Or do they want the personal contact so that they can indulge in a ‘hard-sell’? It is impossible to obtain any facts from their website without first registering, which I don’t necessarily want to do. Do you have any comment? Thanks.

Hello Ian, and thank you for your comment. My assumption (without directly speaking to them) is that they were not able to provide the service you wanted. They do not handle the Chinese Yuan for private clients. I guess they wanted to understand the purpose of transfer, because they might be able to help you in very specific situations.

I completely hear what you’re saying about obtaining information without registering, this is how all commercial foreign exchange companies operate. It’s a very competitive field and they are very “secretive”. Of course, it also has commercial viability if you’re already a registered client as opposed a random inquirer via email. This is exactly why our website has been so popular – people come here to find more data about each company, understand how it operates, and also read about other people’s experiences like yours.

Currencies Direct were quite happy to deal with us when purchasing a house as we were dealing with large sums of money. Once the house sale was complete and we wanted to transfer £5000 for running costs of the home the attitude changed completely. We were informed that Currencies Direct did not deal with small amounts of money and we should look elsewhere. Such arrogance was totally uncalled for and personally I don’t regard £5k as a small sum of money. Obviously salaries are such that this did seem as small amount of cash.

Hi Fiona, thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear your experience wasn’t fully satisfying (or had a bitter ending to it, more precisely). £5000 is definitely an amount of money they handle, but the thing is that transfers of that size or smaller won’t receive “personal attention”. You could use their online platform to transfer the funds, but the personalised dealer option is not possible. It makes perfect commercial sense – the salaries and other overheads they have to deal with each client will not even cover the spread margin they will be taking away from a £5000 transfer. Still, things could have been communicated better to you.

Hi Robert, thank you for your comment. You can view Currencies Direct’s excellent rates shortly after you sign up. We feel it is the only honest way to go around things. The fact that some other companies show you their estimated rates before sign-up doesn’t mean much. Rates fluctuate heavily, and by the time you have completed your sign-up, the rate you will be offered will be different.

The comments here are an anti-thesis to the reporting above. Perhaps further verification and review is needed in the spirit of providing greater awareness amongst the consumers.

My experience: I had wanted to enquire about the rates. Instead of replying with a quotation as they had advertised, they replied by asking me to click on certain options available on the website (essentially it meant surfing Currencies Direct website) and asking me to provide copies of my ID when I haven’t even expressed my interest to register!

The registration process painfully long for a business that operates on trust and efficiency. Plenty of documentation was provided, till now I am not even sure whether my account has been set up. The sales personnel isn’t replying. If not for the FCA registration, I would have thought that this is a scam.

Hi! Thank you for the very helpful comment. Indeed there are some neutral or negative comments here, some of which seem justified, and some aren’t. We are continuing to monitor all client review platforms and in direct contact with Currencies Direct and have no doubt that most clients are able to sign up and satisfied with the service. As part of our referral agreements we see the genuine numbers and we can compare them side-by-side to other companies with similar agreements… and Currencies Direct seem to register more clients, and a large number of them do decide to trade. That doesn’t go out to say that your review is not significant and that we will not factor this in.

Regarding your specific experience: although some companies offer, perhaps, a smoother registration process which requires less details before offering a quotation, and some companies are fully transparent (like Transferwise / Currencyfair) – what you described here is how the industry works. You provide a proof to your identity, and then able to access the system and view the rates. In fact, the rates that you will see on the system aren’t the best rates, and if you are transferring a significant amount, you will be offered with better rates on the telephone (which will also be applied to the online system). The plethora of documentation which is required in order to sign up, and the “bureaucracy” are unfortunately also a part of the industry due to Anti Money Laundering laws (we have written about that extensively on our website).

The most worrying part of this all was the support team which never replied to your inquiry. It’s no excuse by any means, but their site has crashed on the Brexit day and I think they are still recovering. I will be happy to contact them on this matter if you allow me to pass your email address to them.

Last comment we have is that we’re sorry you had a bad experience and we will definitely look into it; in any case Currencies Direct is a legit company as can be. We have visited them many times in their offices and inspected their conduct, and albeit their services were not up to par in this case, they are 100% legit.

We wanted to update that we have looked into it and ran a thorough check for all referrals and it is a VERY rare event that the trader doesn’t reply instantaneously to a client. So it does happen, as all human errors, but it is unlikely to happen.

just a bit of information the rate for the commission is between 1.3 to 1.5 percent which is no better than a standard banK. We rang them and pointed out this fact and said that we would not do the transfer with this rate. Their reply was are you threatening us, nomwe were simply pointing out the facts and now because of their reaction do not trust sending the money to transfer because who knows what they will do. I will be sharing this with all my friends as we were very unhappy with their reaction and unprofessionalism.

Thank you Janine for your feedback. 1.3-1.5 per cent margin sounds quite reasonable for a small trade, and usually represents a good saving against the bank (depends on which bank you use, and which currencies are involved in the trade). I am sorry to hear about the bad reaction you got on behalf of Currencies Direct. It’s the exact opposite of what our mystery shoppers said when they tried Currencies Direct out. Could you please supply us with the name of the person who dealt with your account?

– The margin that was applied to your deal considering there are no wire fees is cheaper than any bank. It was a very small 6,000 Euro deal, you can’t expect it to be much better.

– You booked a trade online, and then called up the company to negotiate your rates. Once a deal has been booked (with any company, not just Currencies Direct), it cannot be undone.

– The reason booked deals cannot be reversed, changed, or negotiated, is because the rates move too swiftly. For example, if you booked a trade for GBPEUR on yesterday’s rate of 1.18, and today’s rate is 1.168 (these are the actual mid-market rates), you could potentially book at a better rate than the rate they booked your currency for yesterday.

– I would say that you failed to understand the process. Instead of booking a trade online, you could have called them and negotiate the price prior to booking the deal.

Fantastic service. Used currencies direct to send a large amount of sterling to Israel to buy our holiday apartment I. The local currency. They helped us set a rate in advance. The rate was brilliant. The service was fantastic and the speed was very fast. Will use them again

I used currencies direct for my year abroad program. I needed to transfer money regularly from my UK bank account into my Canadian account. The services were superb. Saved a whole lot of money and I couldn’t have asked for more. Definitely works!

Yaaya, thank you so much for your feedback. Currencies Direct are a superb choice for any currency route but North America to UK is one of their specialties. Almost no other company offers fee-free services on Canada outbound transfers.

I am retired and I had to make an urgent transfer from my sterling account in the UK to a Notary’s account in France, in Euros, to pay the deposit on a flat purchase. After many years spent in forex dealings, I was disgusted by the rates that my, and other, banks were offering, so I researched the market and , to my delight, found Currencies Direct. The simplicity of operation and the speed of processing my transaction was a pure delight and I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them to anyone.

Very good service and highly competitive rates. Despite some technical issues the support team have been very patient and pro-active on following up. Would definitely recommend when transferring significant sums overseas.

Thank you Edward for your feedback. It’s especially good to hear that the support team has helped you overcome technical difficulties. This is a major concern to clients – what happens if something goes technically wrong (so they mistakenly stick to their banks and their sub-par rates).

Thank you Phil. Great to hear about the competitive rate. Indeed, the document verification process can be a bit “tiring” but that’s the nature of the industry due to Anti Money Laundering requirements. If you are interested in learning more about this aspect you can do so here. In any case – very content to hear you had a highly positive experience with them.

I have used Currencies Direct on several occasions and have always found them to be very efficient and effective in their currency transfer dealings. Staff were polite in all instances. I would recommend them unreservedly for this type of business.

Thank you Kathryn. Politeness and service! great to hear that. Of course the rates and fee structure are important but we can about service and reliability and it is absolutely fantastic to hear positive comments on that as well.

After using HiFx for a number of years, I wanted to check whether there was a better option. I live in Thailand and relatively few companies will allow me to register with them. Fortunately, Currencies Direct is one of them. They charge no commission on any amount, whereas HiFx charge £9 on amounts less than £3000. The amount was transferred to my Thai bank within 3 days, rather than the 4 days I was accustomed to, and most importantly the conversion rate was significantly better – £25 bonus on a smallish £2000 initial deal. With the Pound suffering against the Baht, this extra sum was most welcome. Another feature is that for the amounts I will be transferring for the time being, the rate did not seem to vary according to the size of the deal. Opening the account was easy, after a few understandable security questions. One general point – I wish companies would clearly state the countries they will accept their clients living in, on the websites. So, Currencies Direct definitely meets my needs and I look forward to a long relationship with them. Highly recommended.

Thank you Keith. This is really good to hear such comparative feedback, and against such a well-known firm such as HiFX. £25 difference on a £2,000 trade is absolutely nuts! We really appreciate the time you took to write this.

The pound is indeed suffering against the Thai Baht and can potentially further deteriorate after Brexit is in motion. Did you consider a forward Contract to hedge any future risks? You can speak to a dealer in Currencies Direct and he will give a much more detailed explanation but in the meanwhile you can read our hedging guide.

We have recently purchased a holiday apartment in Spain and needed a means of transferring smallish amounts of sterling to euros to cover bills etc. without mega charges.

I researched several online companies and was impressed with Currencies Direct’s rates, website and reviews, it appeared very simple. It was extremely simple, after my initial enquiry I was contacted and registration set up and cash transferred all within a few hours.

I have since received regular emails updating me on the current market situation and on the whole have been very pleased with their service. I wont hesitate to use them again.

Hello Catriona, thank you for your superb feedback. We are pleased to hear the process was simple and super-quick! We are also very pleased to hear you found their market updates useful. We are getting those email through as well and trust me (as I get dozens of those a day from various companies and publications) they are one of the best. Very straightforward, short, and easy to digest.

I had previously used a bank and then a competitor money transfer company to send relatively small sums abroad (typically £3,000 to £5,000). The bank was the most expensive, mostly due to the cost of sending the transfer (around £30), but also due to an inferior exchange rate. The competitor had a better rate than the bank and no transfer fees. Given GBP’s recent weakness, when doing my most recent transfer, I looked around to see whether other providers offered even better rates and found, to my surprise, that Currencies Direct’s rate was significantly better on this occasion. The account opening procedure seemed secure and it is nice to know that there is a human being behind it! The money arrived in good time, with no ‘surprises’. Overall, I would recommend Currencies Direct and use them again, so long as they continue to offer good rates and no transfer fees.

I’ve used this service a couple of times to send money back and forth from the UK to the US. It’s worked out really well for me. The rates have been the most competitive I’ve found for amounts over £3K. The service agents were super helpful, very careful and methodical in their explanations without being snobs when I asked questions that may be basic to them. They were available at odd hours either here or in their FL location. They worked to make deals work, it was their persistency and patience I admired.

The only thing I can say they can improve on is that there was one receptionist in the London office who didn’t know who one of the account managers was; I don’t understand how a receptionist, or a person who answers their clients phone calls, could not know people in her office–they should have an internal directory that they can easily access when clients call in if they’re going to be answering phone calls. It was an unfortunate incident, but also a one off considering I made many calls before I actually made the transfers. Overall, excellent service!

living in France having the opportunity to use the French office has made transfers very quick and easy,also whilst on holiday in Spain i had a problem with my account the local office in mojacar sorted out the problem immediately,I cannot fault the service they offer

We needed to transfer money to purchase our house in Spain, and Currencies Direct offered the best rate. There was no pressure to transfer money into their account like other companies wanted before agreeing a rate. From discussing and agreeing the best rate, transferring money into their account, they then transferred euros into our account in Spain, all within the same day. Their communication was excellent every step of the way, very professional staff. I would certainly recommend this company for transferring currency, and will definitely use again in future.

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